Carbureter.



No. 805,138. PATENTED NOV. 21, 1905. W. HERRICK 6: J. G. LOHRMAN.

2 8HEETS-8HBET 1.

GARBURETBR. APPLICATION rum) our. 26. 1904.

No. 805,138. PATENTED NOV. 21, 1905. W. HERRIGK & J. G. LOHRMAN.

GARE URETER.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 26, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WILLIAM HERRICK AND JOHN G. LOHRMAN, OF ELKHART, INDIANA.

CARBURETER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 21, 1905.

Application filed October 26, 1904. Serial No, 230,092.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, WILLIAM HERRIOK and JOHN G. LOHRMAN, citizens of the United States, residing at Elkhart, in the county of Elkhart and State of Indiana. have invented new and usefullmprovements in Oarbureters, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to an improvement in carburetors, the objects being to provide a mechanism of this character which is easily constructed and operated at a low cost and one which will furnish a very superior quality of gas, which will be clean and inexpensive, as well as intensely hot, for use in heating, cooking, and illuminating.

In constructing our invention we employ an air-reservoir, a suitable source of hydrocarbon, miXing or generating tanks connected therewith, and a bell tank' or receiver for the gas, the machine being simply constructed, the various elements of which are well grouped together to occupy a minimum of space, and in all very durable, requiring but little attention and fulfilling every requirement.

Our invention further consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts, such as will be more fully described hereinafter and particularly pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of our assembled machine. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective View of one of the generators, portions being broken away to show the interior construction, and Fig. 3 is a similar view of the gas tank or receiver to which the gas is supplied from the generators and from which it is distributed to the mains and pipes.

In the drawings, A indicates a tank containing a suitable hydrocarbon-as gasolene, for instance. This tank is preferably located at a point some distance from the remainder of the apparatus and outside the building in which the machine is installed.

B indicates a suitable air-tank, into which air is forced and maintained at a suitable pressure by means of a motor and pump in any suitable manner (not shown) through the inlet-pipe 38, provided with an automatic checkvalve 20 to prevent back pressure, the air-tank being provided with'a blow-off pop or safety valve 1 to relieve undue pressure therein.

The hydrocarbon supply or reservoir is preferably located at a point some distance above the apparatus in order that the oil may flow thereto by gravity, and a pipe 2 may be employed, the pipe leading from the air-reservoir or from the reducer 6 into the upper portion of the oil-tank, whereby to assist in forcing the oil from the oil-reservoir.

A pipe or conduit 3 leads from the air-tank, it being branched, as at at 4, to communicate with the generators C G at the bases thereof, the generators each being provided with weighted feet 39 39 to retain them in upright position. The pipe 3 is provided at a point near the reservoir B with an air-gage 5 for indicating the amount of air-pressure, and intermediate the gage and the generators is located a reducer 6, whereby the air is fed at any desirable rate and volume to the generators, a gate-valve 15 being interposed in the air-supply pipe 3 between the reducer and the air-gage for regulating the supply of air by hand, as when starting the machine.

The generators, of which we have shown two, although it is obvious that more or less might be employed, each comprises a casing 7, having a conical upper end or cover 8, preferably, and provided with an annular or other shaped seat 9 near the lower end thereof, the branched air-pipe at communicating with the interior of the casing at a point beneath the seat therein. Supported on the seat in each casing is a skeleton grid or grate 10, upon which is placed a screen or other suitable foraminous plate 11, adapted to serve as a bed for the support of a layer or pad of textile material 12. There may be employed a plurality-of grates, screens, and pads arranged above one another to the number desired; but we have shown one series only to better disclose our invention. An oil-supply pipe 13 leads from the oilreservoir and is branched or forked at its opposite end, as at 14 14, the inclined branches leading to and communicating through the conical upper ends or covers 8 8 of the generators with the interiors thereof. The oilsupply pipe 13 is provided at a point above its branched portion with a regulating-valve 16 for controlling the feed of oil to the generators, and at a point in the oil-supply pipe, preferably intermediate the manually-regulated valve 16 and the oil-reservoir, is located an automatic cut-off valve 17, provided with a stem 18 and having an arm 19 secured to the stem, the cut-off valve being automatically operated in a manner which will presently be disclosed.

Leading from the upper end of the conical cover of each generator is a pipe or conduit 21, which connects with a main pipe 22, leading to the gas reservoir or tank D, a checkvalve 23 being located in the main pipe 22 to prevent an undue amount of back pressure and to enable the supply of gas to lllldl'OSGl voir to be' manually regulated, if desired. The gas-tank D comprises a chamber partially filled with liquid, as water alone or keroseneoil may be added to the water. A guide-rod 24 is supported within the tank and preferably centrally thereof in the present instance, the rod extending longitudinally of the entire chamber, and this rod is adapted to receive a bell 25, provided with a sleeve 26 in which the rod is received, the rod extending loosely through an aperture 27 in the bell, which aperture is surrounded by the sleeve 26 to prevent the escape of gas from the bell into the chamber, the sleeve being of a length sufiicient to retain its lower open end immersed in the liquid in the chamber. The conduit 22 passes into the gas-tank at a point near its base and then extends sharply upward, as at 28, the upper open end being received within the bell 25 in the usual manner, a similar gasrnain 29 extending downward from the bell and out from the base of the tank to supply the burners in the building or elsewhere, a pipe 30 leading from the gas-main to a stove orotherheater. (Notshown) Tllhegas-main 29 is provided with an automatic check-valve 40 for preventing back explosions or back flare. The chamber D of the gas-tank is provided with a tube 31, extending from the upper end thereof, which tube prevents a compression of air or a vacuum within the chamher, and through this tube slidingly extends a standard 32, mounted at its lower end upon the bell 25, the upper end of the standard being pivotally connected to a lever itself pivotally secured at one end to the post 34, carried by the chamber 1), the opposite end of the lever being pivotally connected to the link A regulating-valve 36 is located in the gas pipe or conduit 22, leading into the gas-reservoir, the valve having a crank-arm 37 secured thereto, to which arm the link is pivotally connected, and to this link is also pivotally secured the crank-arm 19 of the oilcut-off valve 17. From this construction it will be observed that so long as the gas furnished to the bell 25 by pipe 22 is as quickly led off and consumed by the pipe-main 29 through its burners the cutoli' valve 17 and the regulating-valve 36 will remain stationary; but as soon as the supply exceeds the consumption the bell will rise owing to the increased buoyancy and raise the standard 32 and lever 32), thereby actuating the arms 19 and 37 of the oil cut-off and gas supply, re spectivcly, to simultaneously effect a decrease of the amount of oil supplied to the generators and also to decrease the amount of gas furnished the bell, the closure or partial closure of the valve 36 also o iaerating' to reduce the amount of air supplied by the reducer to thegenerators through back pressure. An increased consumption of gas Will of course operate to effect the opening of the cut-off and gas-supply regulating-valves, to the end that more gas may be supplied the bell.

The link 35 instead of being rigid may be flexible, so that a greater movement of the bell will be necessary before the valves are operated.

Having thus fully described the construction of our invention, we will briefly set forth its method of operation.

The oil and air reservoirs being filled, the manually-operated gate-valves 15 and 16 are opened to permit the flow of the air and oil in regulated quantities to the generators C C, the oil entering the generators through the upper ends thereof and falling upon the textile material to thoroughly saturate the same, and the air entering from beneath and passing upward through the layers of oil-saturated textile material becomes highly impregnated or mixed with the oil and passes into the main pipe 22 in the form of gas, having absorbed or taken up the vapor from the oil. The oil. being fed from the oil-tank A is under the same pressure as is the air fed into the generators, and hence back pressure on the oil is obviated. The pipe 22 conducts the gas to the bell 25 within the gas-receiver, from which bell the gas is led, as needed, through the gas-main 29 to the burners.

It is evident that an exceedingly-simple yet highly-efficient gas-producer is thus provided and that many changes might be made in the form and arrangement of the several parts described without departing from the spirit and scope of our invention, and hence we do not wish to limit ourselves to the exact construction herein set forth; but,

l'laving thus fully disclosed our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A gas-producing machine comprising a hydrocarbon and an air tank, a generator having a weighted foot, a seat formed within the generator, a grid located on the seat, a foraminous member on the grid, an absorbent pad resting upon the foraminous member, a communication extending from the air-tank to a point below the grid, a communication extending from the hydrocarbon-tank to a point above the pad, a conical cover on the generator, a gas-receiver, and a pipe leading from the apex of the cover to the receiver.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto signed our names in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

W'ILLIAM HERRICK. JOHN Gr. LOHRMAN. In presence .of-

Emma H ELFRICH, O. E. RUCKER. 

